THEY ONLY MET ONCE, BUT IT CHANGED THEIR LIVES FOREVER.
One of the most classic 1980s high school movies is probably also John Hughes’s most beloved film. It helps to have a location as sealed off as an empty school, helping us to focus on five students of different backgrounds who gather there on a Saturday for detention. As they try to pass the time, we experience a bit of teenage rebellion and get an understanding of how sensitive, vulnerable and insecure they are – at the same time, the adult world (represented by a terrifically villainous Paul Gleason) is no role model. The young cast (Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall joining Hughes from Sixteen Candles (1984)) make the kids engaging. The use of Simple Minds’s biggest hit gets your attention right from the start.
1985-U.S. 97 min. Color. Produced by John Hughes, Ned Tanen. Written and directed by John Hughes. Song: ”Don’t You (Forget About Me)” (performed by Simple Minds). Cast: Emilio Estevez (Andy Clark), Judd Nelson (John Bender), Molly Ringwald (Claire Standish), Anthony Michael Hall (Brian Johnson), Ally Sheedy, Paul Gleason.
Last word: “In the shooting script of ‘The Breakfast Club,’ there was a scene in which an attractive female gym teacher swam naked in the school’s swimming pool as Mr. Vernon, the teacher who is in charge of the students’ detention, spied on her. The scene wasn’t in the first draft I read, and I lobbied John to cut it. He did, and although I’m sure the actress who had been cast in the part still blames me for foiling her break, I think the film is better for it.” (Ringwald, The New Yorker)
